Otley 10

Spent much of yesterday helping out at the annual 10 mile road race organised by my club (Otley AC).  OK, OK the club doesn't belong to me but you know what I mean.


This year was the 28th staging of the popular evening race which, strangely enough, seemed to enjoy much better weather when it was held in mid May.  The course itself winds it's way through beautiful countryside to the north of Otley and is well known across northern England for the two rather large hills - see the course profile here.  I don't believe this course was particularly designed to be difficult, it's just that it wasn't easy for the club at that time to find a suitable route locally for a road race without incorporating some hills.  I now think it's quite rare for such a long standing race to have a course record which is over 50 minutes.

The course records are:  50:56 (Colin Moore - 1989) and 57:40 (Veronique Marot - 1989)

This year's winner was Matt John (Otley AC) who finished in just over 56 minutes.

Colin Best deserves much credit for organising the race this year (and last year too).  Hopefully he can continue for many years to come and also hopefully I can be of more help than I was this year as the race has always been a bit special for me.  I was race director from 2000 to 2008/9 but had to resign when the pressures of Running to London and trying to secure selection for the 2009 Commonwealth Championships began to take their toll.

I'm sure Colin would want to join me in saying 'thank you' to all the marshals and other helpers who make this race possible.  I think that many people not involved in organising a race fail to appreciate the manpower needed to stage an event like this.

better than expected

Yesterday it was Otley AC's turn to host an event for the Yorkshire Veterans Athletic Association.  It was only 5.8 miles (9.3 km) but if a club belongs to an association such as that then it should expect to stage a race once in a while.  And if a person belongs to a running club they should expect to help out as a marshal, or similar, once or twice a year.  It's not fun standing around in the rain on a cold March afternoon for 90 minutes though .

Good to see Helen Barber (Horsforth H) running well on the multi terrain course.  You may remember that she and her partner (Tony Hazell) provided much help during my Run To London back in 2009.  Wow, was that really three years ago ?

Today was different though.  Went for a long run this morning.  Well, about 21.3 miles (34.2 km) up the valley to Addingham and back.  Not hilly but far from flat either.  Without pushing the pace at all I was out for about 2h 52 ... more than happy with that.

The sun was shining, it was a little breezy but all in all it felt warmer than expected and as promised a few days ago I just had a fun three hours (almost).

Feeling good ... fitness coming back ... testing nutritional stuff ... very happy ... expecting a better year than 2012.

This year's races ... at last

OK here we go ... time to get serious.

As mentioned in a previous post I plan to take part in three long ultras this year - that's anything over 100 miles.

Originally I had also planned to take part in the open 100k race which is being staged at the same time as the Anglo Celtic Plate 100k in Perth, Scotland.  That's at the end of March but my recent knee injury scuppered that plan.

Sorry Adrian.

But then, only about 10 days ago, I received a phone call from Norman Wilson (chairman of selectors, England Athletics) asking if I would consider representing England at the Anglo Celtic Plate.  Apparently they were having trouble finding enough 100k runners to complete the team - injuries, etc - and so the 24 hr runners were being asked if they would be able step into the breach.  Unfortunately my lack of running recently meant that I had to turn down the offer as there's no way I'd be fit enough to run 100k at the end of March.

100k is a long way - even for a 24 hr runner.

It's a shame really because I really like the course at North Inch and I know Adrian and the team will put on a terrific race.  I know the course well, having completed almost 100 laps last September - see this page for full details.

Recently I've been putting in place my racing plans now that I'm fully recovered from that injury and I can now reveal that my first long ultra this year will be on 24 June.  It will be the ...

... which starts and finishes in Stratford upon Avon.  All the event details can be found here.

I'm really looking forward to this race as it's the first open ultra race I've entered since ... the Tooting Bec 24 hr event in October 2008.

Wow ... is it really so long ago?  Since then I've had the Run To London in May 2009, Commonwealth Championships in Sep 2009, World Championships in May 2010 and the Perth Ultra Fest in Sep 2010.

It's also the first time I've taken part in a long ultra which hasn't been staged on a closed loop - it's going to be fun.  Even in the heat of summer, on a hilly course.  Last year the temperature apparently reached 31 degrees Celsius (88 F) but it must have been close to that on the Run to London.

Or when, in June 2006, I warmed up for the Thirsk 10 by running 45 miles from my home to the start.

For me, this will be the ideal build up race for the year's big one [for me at least] which takes place in September.  The Commonwealth Championships ... the inaugural event was in Keswick in 2009 and now, the second championships will take place in Llandudno, Wales, at the end of September.

All the details for that can be found on this page.  I know there isn't very much on that site at the moment but I'm sure more and more will be added in the coming months.

The event in Keswick was an extremely enjoyable experience - my first international race - and I'm expecting to do quite well in Wales.  I finished fifth last time with a pb of 231k (143 miles) but I'll be looking to go a lot further in about seven months time.  I never aim for positions, I only aim for distance or time and if that's only good enough for 8th or 23rd then so be it, if I come away with a personal best I can't really complain.  It just means the other runners ran better than me.

Of course, there are occasions when some of the other runners can push or pull me to a better performance and to some extent that happened in Perth last September.

My third long ultra of the year will most likely be either the World 24 hr Championships or the Barcelona 24 hr race.  The World Championships were due to be held in Brugg, Switzerland but that was cancelled and now it seems likely that they will be held in Taiwan in December ... but if, for any reason that doesn't happen, or if UK Athletics decide not to send a team, then I'll probably take part in the race in Barcelona where Emily Gelder ran over 220k last year.

Barcelona is a wonderful city which I visited in October 2005, only five months before my ultra running debut at the Barry 40.

So ... lots of training to occupy me this year.  I'm very happy with how things are progressing with all the running, cycling, strength work, etc [well over 12 hours per week at the moment, but not enough yet] and I'm relishing the challenges to come in June, September and December.

There's also going to be quite a few shorter races this year and full details of everything I've got in the pipeline can be seen on this page.

I'd like to finish this post by thanking Angie and Phil for agreeing to crew for me in the first race and offering me somewhere to stay too.

Ultrarunning World #2

I've just come across this on the ultra running website multidays.com  It's issue 2 of the magazine Ultrarunning World and contained within is a large article about my Run To London eighteen months ago.

Reading this brought back lots of good memories of a sunny weekend in May during which my helpers and I raised well over £2000 for Orchid.  Everything about the amazing Run To London experience can be found here.

The magazine also has lots of other stuff and is well worth a read.  One good thing I noticed about it is that photos are all properly credited, well done to Abichal for that.

my brain is fine thanks ...

You may remember that about three or four days after my Run To London I was doing some DIY at home and it all went horribly wrong.  At the time Fay vowed that she would never let me do anything around the house for at least a fortnight after a long ultra.

Apparently these long ultras not only wear out my legs, feet, digestive system and endocrine system but they also severely impair my brain function and coordination.

Some people say I'm mad to run 24 hr races ... now I know that it's the races making me mad !!!

Anyway, Fay has obviously relented because I've just spent about four or five hours putting up new bathroom cabinets, shelves, mirrors, etc ... and everything went perfectly well.  Much like last weekend's race really.

Which reminds me ... my report should be available in a week or so (hopefully less) but in the meantime there's a great one on Fiona Rennie's blog.

I haven't run a step since that race - I couldn't even wear socks until Friday because of my painful toes - but now is the time to take up my running shoes again.  Carefully for the first week though.

I've also been looking long and hard at race diaries for the next 12 to 15 months and the one thing that is as certain as can be is the World Championships in Brugg, Switzerland next June.  UKA permitting.  I'm still looking for other races though and have one or two ideas in mind.  I'd like to race three long ultras in 2011 - which other two though?

recent running

Here's a quick rundown of my running over the past four days:

TUESDAY - tempo run first thing in the morning.  My target, after a suitable warm up, was to run 7.1 miles between 46:51 and 48:09.  These paces represent my 10k and half marathon paces ... or they did at the end of last year !!!  This morning I managed 47:40 with no difficulty whatsoever.  Pleased with that at 8.00am.

WEDNESDAY - Golden Acre Relay.  This local event is for teams of three over a 2.75 mile off road circuit which is undulating, twisting and narrow in places.  I was placed in a team with Dale Foster and Andrew Robertshaw (both much quicker than me over short distances).  Dale ran 16:05, Andrew 16:20 and myself 17:50.  Overall we finished ninth team ... and then I ran 5.5 miles home.  I was pleased with my run at 6:29 per mile considering the previous days training and the fact that the course isn't really conducive to fast running.  Good to see fellow ultra runners Derek Martin and Sam Black too.  These Abbey Runners were a big help at last year's Run To London.

THURSDAY - 10+ miles steady in the morning.  Nothing to report about this.

FRIDAY - 35 miles.  The original plan was to run along the Leeds Liverpool Canal from Skipton to Kirkstall.  That plan had to be changed yesterday morning when Keir and his teenaged pals decided to alter their camping trip in the Yorkshire Dales.  In the end my route was:  Otley ... Burley ... Menston ... Guiseley ... Baildon ... Shipley ... Saltaire ... Bingley ... Leeds Liverpool Canal to Kirkstall ... Headingley ... Bramhope ... Otley.  Very enjoyable slow run although the temperature rose significantly during the last 8 miles or so which made it very uncomfortable.

Ah yes ... it's good to hear that Derek Martin is running again after a couple of years of back problems.

Washburn Valley Relay

Friday night was the annual Washburn Valley Relay and I ran for Otley Mixed A on the four mile stage 2.  This has always been one of my favourite events as it takes place in one of my all time favourite running places - and it's just seven miles north of where I live too.

My stage comprised one complete circuit of Fewston Reservoir and I've raced along those paths seven times previously.  Those previous times were:

19 June 1999 ... Otley AC handicap ... 24:03
25 May 2000 ... Otley AC handicap ... 24:57
6 June 2000 ... Washburn Valley Relay ... 24:17
6 June 2002 ... Otley AC handicap ... 27:12
24 July 2003 ... Otley AC handicap ... 27:23
14 June 2004 ... Otley AC handicap ... 28:17
17 April 2007 ... Otley AC handicap ... 26:23
16 July 2010 ... Washburn Valley Relay ... 25:47

My time this year was most surprising as it was my quickest in over ten years.  I was not expecting that at all - the path around the reservoir is undulating, twisting and very narrow in places - how I managed to pass thirteen people I'll never know.

My team, which also comprised Sharron Smith and Renee Saxton finished 16th overall (out of 50) and second mixed team behind Pudsey Pacers.

Also, for the first time this year, there was a relay for junior runners on a 1.1 mile circuit.  Overall a brilliant event at which I met up again with Helen Barber and Tony Hazell who played such a large part in last year's epic Run To London.

Thanks to everyone for organising and helping stage such an enjoyable event:  Nick Hodgkinson, Julian Mawson, Chris Stacey, Andrew Robertshaw, Hugh Pearson, John Armitstead, Beate Schmidt-Rohlfing and I'm sure there are a few more whose names escape me ... apologies to them but well done.

news update

Still very cold outside.  Not running today but yesterday I still needed a hat and three pairs of gloves!!!!  There hasn't been any snow for a week or so now but the average temperature on my training runs has still been around zero Celsius (32 Fahrenheit).

Mike Blamires recently picked up on the item from my last post about the Melbourne to Sydney race of 1985.  His recent post compares the nutrition strategy of Yiannis Kouros in that race to my nutrition strategy during the Run To London.  Mike does know a bit about that as he was one of my helpers last May - he ran with me for 25 miles or so beginning at about 4.30am on the Sunday morning.  One thing he later said will always stay with me:  "I never thought I'd see a man run 200km in 24 hours and yet look so fresh."

Thanks Mike ... without your help I couldn't have raised well over £2000.

A few days into the future now and on Friday there's the Annual Presentation Evening of my club - Otley AC. The Runner Of The Year competition was won by Tom Hannah and the Handicap competition by Billy Rayner. I didn't finish in the top three in either of those competitions but I do think that the rules of the Runner Of The Year competition make it very difficult, if not impossible, for an ultra distance runner to win.

Although I doubt I'll be collecting any trophies this year it's still an enjoyable evening with lots of food, drink and memories of 2009 with the good company of over 50 members of Otley AC.   Unfortunately Fay will be absent this year, for the first time, she has another important meeting to attend instead.

Speaking of Fay ... she fell badly at lunchtime today and came home with torn trousers, a cut and badly bruised knee and a swollen hand.

On a final note all the best to William Sichel who's taking part in the Espoo indoor 24hr race in Helsinki at the weekend. He's using it as part of his build up to the 1000 mile race in Athens in March. I believe Paul Hart is also running in Helsinki.

bad weather

Training is continuing as normally as possibly in this prolonged spell of snowy and exceptionally cold weather. The photo below, taken by Martin Bland, is from a large city not too far from where I live.

A quicker training run isn't easy at the moment but ... things are progressing very well thank you.


Just heard on the tv weather forecast that we've got at least another ten days of this snowy and cold weather.


On a slightly different subject ... statistics from this well respected German website referring to 2009 show that my ranking for 24 hr races has progressed from number 56 in the world (2008) to number 44.


Similarly my European ranking has moved from 45 (in 2008) to 32 but my UK ranking has fallen from 3 to 4 [because of Richard Quennell's fantastic run at Tooting Bec in October].

Overall these stats show a marked improvement from me ... but I know there's much more to come yet.


Now for the weird and unexpected stuff.


During my Run To London I covered 218 miles (350 km) in 45 hours.  If I had covered that distance in a 48 hour race my rankings for 2009 would have been:


world ... 8
Europe ... 6
UK ... 1
England ... 1


Well impressed by this and these stats give me lots of hope for a good debut in a proper 48 hr race in 2011 or 2012.

Annual Review - 2009

As usual for the last post of the year I intend to look back over the previous twelve months and briefly revisit some of the many highlights of 2009. I hope you enjoyed reading about them at the time and that this post refreshes your memory as well as it refreshes mine.

JANUARY
Announced my intention to raise money for Orchid by undertaking a (very) long run from Otley to London. Spent three weeks looking at maps and planning a suitable route before beginning specific preparation by using a headtorch for the very first time. I also spent lots of time writing letters and emails to suitable businesses in the hope of arranging sponsorship. I currently have two sponsors so all that time was worth the effort but overall things could be better on the sponsorship front. Perhaps the economic climate is against me at the moment. Very cold weather this month made training difficult at times.

FEBRUARY
The Run To London route was measured at 218 miles. The cold weather continued and in the middle of this month I caught a cold - my first since 2006. At the end of this month the website for the Commonwealth Ultra & Mountain Running Championships was launched and The Wharfedale & Airedale Observer published a lengthy article about the Run To London.

MARCH
Began assembling a dedicated crew for the Run To London. Ran most of the route checking for road works, diversions, etc. Sponsorship reached £1000 - all going towards research into the prevention and cure of men's cancers (penile, prostate and testicular) and at the end of this month Up And Running donated lots of kit, and some shoes, for me to use whilst on the long road south.

APRIL
At the start of the month I took part in the North of England 12 stage relay for my club - Otley AC. Had a very enjoyable day in Stockport where we qualified for the National 12 stage relay for the first time in the club's history. In the middle of the month Keir took part in a 5k race in Leeds as part of his Duke of Edinburgh (bronze) award - very proud of him.

MAY
Three women and one man represented Britain at the World 24 hr Challenge in Italy where Anne-Cecile Fontaine ran 243.644 km to fall short of the world record by an agonising 13 metres. Also this month Nadeem Khan wrote a profile of me for the IAU website detailing the Run To London. At the start of the month I had three very successful crew meetings in Leeds where I met many of the dedicated bunch of helpers for the first time ... I was very impressed by their dedication and willingness to give up their weekend to help me raise as much money as possible. And then I resigned (after almost ten years) as secretary of Otley AC and as race director of the Otley 10 ... the workload was becoming more and more unmanageable and the resulting pressures had meant that something had to give. Also attended an England Athletics ultra squad weekend where I met a few of my heroes for the first time. Interviews with Radio Leeds and Yorkshire TV Calendar followed towards the end of the month. Oh .. and then there was the Run To London.

Donations are still welcome at Bmycharity.

JUNE
Began training seriously for the Commonwealth Championships later in the year. There was also the Otley 10 where I helped at the finish for a change. This was followed a few days later by a large get-together of myself and many of those who helped raise well over £2000 for Orchid a few weeks earlier. Later in the month Assist Creative Resources decided to sponsor me by supplying Shotz electrolyte tablets, Shotz gels and Shotz energy bars - all very welcome for the race(s) in Keswick (and beyond). At the end of the month I ran a 5k race around a reservoir near Rochdale and was rewarded with an age-graded pb. Considering I ran 218 miles only four weeks earlier this was a big surprise ... as was the presentation by Andy O'Sullivan before the race.

JULY
Greg Mulholland MP tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons about the Run To London followed a few days later by phone confirmation that I had been selected to represent England at the Commonwealth Championships. In the middle of the month I had a bad race in Hull - I guess my body needs more than seven weeks recovery after 218 miles in 45 hours. At the end of the month I took part in the Washburn Valley Relay for my club.

AUGUST
The England kit (part of it) arrived in the middle of the month and I road tested all of it at least twice. Cannot be too careful about seams, good fit, chafing, etc in long ultras. Felt a bit strange though running around Wharfedale in England kit. At the end of the month I spent a week crash training ... ran over 160 miles and spent over 32 hours running, cycling, stretching, strength training, etc. A very tiring month.

SEPTEMBER
At last ... the Commonwealth Championships ... I spent five nights in Keswick and my race was on days two and three. Overall it was a very good few days and I was very pleased with my position and my team silver medal.  Less pleased with my overall distance though - I should have run at least 4k more. I know I can do that.

OCTOBER
At the start of the month a family member died and at the end of the month I spent a few days in hospital having a throat operation. Also in this month came the sad death of the brother-in-law of Helen Barber - one of my helpers on the Run To London. He had been suffering with penile cancer for a while but was hoping to run part of the way with me. Sadly he took a turn for the worse and his health then sadly deteriorated quickly.

NOVEMBER
Greg Mulholland MP tabled another Early Day Motion, this time trying to get the British media to give more coverage to ultra distance running. Spent this month slowly getting back to fitness after my illness and surgery.

DECEMBER
Finally got around to analysing all the lap times from Keswick. Set personal bests at 50k, 100k, 150k, 200k, 50 miles, 100 miles, 6 hrs, 12 hrs and 24 hrs. At the prestigious BBC Sports Personality Of The Year I was disappointed that the Commonwealth Championships were not deemed worthy of even a brief mention. Very bad weather this month caused the cancellation of the Otley AC Christmas handicap for the first time ever.
Overall 2009 was an amazing year with two big highlights. I'd like to thank everyone who contributed in any way whatsoever but particularly my sponsors ASSIST Creative Resources Ltd., FitnessFootwear.com and Alan Young for all his help and advice (for 2009 and beyond).

As for the future ... well May 2010 has the World 24hr Challenge in Brive-la-Gaillarde and in September there's the Perth 24 hr race (probably). The only downside is that UK Athletics won't select the team until February - so it's a case of keep training for now and hoping for that UK vest. Possibly fit in a couple of other races too but these are my 'target races' for the next twelve months.

If not this year then I'm confident of putting in a very good performance in Perth which will strengthen even further my case for selection for the 2011 championships.

Happy New Year and/or Hogmanay to you all ... and thanks for reading.

Guinness World Records (TM)

Late last week I received an email from Guinness World Records (TM) about the Run To London which read:

"Thank you for sending us the details of your recent record attempt for 'run from Leeds to London'. We are afraid to say that we are unable to accept this as a Guinness World Record."

"We receive over 60,000 enquiries a year from which only a small proportion are approved by our experienced researchers to establish new categories. These are not 'made up' to suit an individual proposal, but rather 'evolve' as a result of international competition in a field, which naturally accommodates superlatives of the sort that we are interested in. We think you will appreciate that we are bound to favour those that reflect the greatest interest."

"Guinness World Records has absolute discretion as to which Guinness World Record applications are accepted and our decision is final. Guinness World Records may at its discretion and for whatever reason identify some records as either no longer monitored by Guinness World Records or no longer viable."

Of course I'm disappointed and I thank everyone who has offered words of congratulations even though the event will not be recognised officially as a record.

All this was brutally put into perspective though by the news I received yesterday afternoon.  As you will know if you were a regular reader of the Run To London blog, one of the helpers, Helen Barber (Sly), has a brother in law (Mick) who has penile cancer.  Well, his cancer has spread and it isn't deemed curable ...

I really don't know what to say at this point.  I've never met Mick but Helen and I have exchanged a couple of emails recently and obviously she's a bit numb with shock at the moment.  I know from experience that the shock will pass and then the job becomes one of living life to the full - as much as is possible in light of things such as pain, swelling, morphine, etc.

I believe Helen knows this and, although my cancer obviously wasn't terminal, it does seem strange offering support because one of the few ways I know how to do that is to relate some of the things I saw and did whilst I had cancer.  I also know that talking about one's own medical history can be incredibly boring and off putting to most people.

If ever Helen needs someone to talk to though, to 'get things off her chest' perhaps ... I am more than willing to be there for her.  Just to listen, read her emails, whatever she wants.

rankings

Sorry about not posting for a while ... not had a lot to say recently.

I've decided though that I could informally and unofficially include my Run To London in the yearly 48 hr rankings produced by the DUV website.

I ran approximately 218 miles/350.836k in 45 hours on the roads between Otley and London.  According to the DUV website 350.836k would rank me at number 7 in the world if it had been a 48 hr race.

Please note that this is unofficial.  The Run To London was not a race and shouldn't be included although I was aiming for a decent time.

The actual figures can be seen on the Rankings page.

temporary marking paint (not)

For the past week or so I've been the subject of quite a few jokes regarding the orange paint on the road near the scout hut on Burras Lane in Otley.

The paint is supposed to be 'temporary marking paint' but despite lots of rain since the Run To London it still hasn't proved to be temporary.  It has faded slightly though in the nine weeks it's been there.


Although most people who see that writing will know what it was all about I have to have a laugh to myself when I think about the markings on the road at 100 miles, 200 km, 150 miles, 300 km and 200 miles.  People who see those will have absolutely no idea why they are there or what they are for.

The 100 mile mark was about 2.5 miles north of Melton Mowbray, just outside the village of Scalford.

The 200 km mark was in the village of Great Easton, just south of Eyebrook Reservoir.



The 150 mile mark was less than a mile south of Hinwick.

The marks for 100 miles, 200 km and 150 miles were on relatively busy country roads but the 300 km mark was on a very quiet country lane just south of Breachwood Green.


By contrast the 200 mile point though was a couple of miles south of Hatfield on the main road known as the A1000 or the Great North Road.  People must see the words '200 miles' on the road every day and wonder what lies 200 miles away and why those words are there.

Photos by Keir Carver, Huw Illingworth, Helen Barber, Huw Illingworth and Steve Harvey.

a bad day at the office ...

Well, here's what happened ...

Arrived the night before with a tent and two crew members (Fay and Keir).  Everything was fine ... runners and the organiser, doctor and other officials were chatting away and eagerly anticipating the weekend's race.

Just before going to sleep I stubbed my toe and a toenail came off.  I know it had been loose since the Run To London but I didn't realise it had been so bad.  An omen perhaps.

Woke up in the night with cramp in my left calf ... things were not going well at all.

Before an ultra distance race I usually snack on high carbohydrate foods right up until the race starts.  This time I decided to just have a large breakfast about two to three hours before the race.  The idea behind this change is that food eaten within one hour of a race stimulates the release of insulin, which increases the amount of carbohydrate used during the race.

About an hour before the race I ambled down to see the woman from the Northern Institute of Massage to see if she could help with the cramp problem I had about six hours earlier.  After about ten minutes on her table I felt much better ...

The race began and I felt strong, it went like this:

FIRST HOUR
plan - to run at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)
actual - ran at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)

SECOND HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:51 per mile (1:57 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:41 per mile (1:55 per lap)

THIRD HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)

FOURTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:03 per mile (2:00 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:03 (2:00 per lap)

FIFTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)

SIXTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:15 per mile (2:03 per lap)
actual - walked for 8:45 then ran for 8:55 per mile (2:13 per lap)

SEVENTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run for 8:19 per mile (2:04 per lap)
actual - walked for 10:00 and later for 5:00. Ran at 9:03 per mile (2:15 per lap)

During the seventh hour, when I was beginning to try and understand why I was struggling, it suddenly occurred to me that the 218 mile Run To London was only seven weeks ago and it was obvious that I hadn't recovered enough to be able to run a quick 100 miles.

What came to mind next was a section from Tim Noakes' book Lore Of Running (fourth edition, page 662):

"Continuous running during marathon and ultramarathon races produces a specific form of fatigue due to eccentric-induced muscle damage with associated changes in neuromuscular function."

"Once this fatigue develops, it is irreversible, causing the runner to slow precipitously, or even be reduced to walking.  Complete recovery may take weeks to months."

I then decided it would be wise to stop as I didn't want anything getting in the way of a good build up to the Commonwealth Championships which are only nine and a half weeks away.

Another thing I was trying for the first time was a different length of walking break.  I usually walk for ten minutes every hour but this time I thought I'd try seven and a half minutes in a slightly shorter race.  It worked well for the first five hours but then I needed more time walking ... I had been running faster than usual though. This needs to be tried again when I'm fresh.

Some of the new food and drink choices weren't due until a few hours after I stopped running so I still don't know whether or not they would have had any benefit.  The Shot Bloks electrolyte chews were very good:  a useful way of taking on board sodium, etc and easier to chew and swallow than expected.

The REGO Rapid (protein drink) tasted much better without the addition of a Shotz electrolyte tablet.

After I retired I spent much of the remaining 17 hours enjoying the race and talking to people such as Alan Young, Adrian Stott, Eleanor Robinson, Mike Blamires, etc. I'm always willing to listen and learn from what others have to say about training, racing, nutrition, etc.

CONCLUSIONS
- Seven weeks recovery after 218 miles is not enough for me.
- Alan and Adrian very kindly pointed out that two bad races [by my own standards] from nine ultras is quite a good ratio.
- passed the marathon distance in 3h 38:39 and 60k in 5h 16:17 (the latter a pb by over 20 minutes).

Many thanks to Dave Annandale for organising a fantastic event and thanks also to all the lap counters too (especially Emma Annandale who was mine [sorry for not collapsing at the end though !!!]).

early day motion

Had an interesting lunchtime today.

The Member of Parliament for Leeds North West (which includes Otley), Greg Mulholland has been in fairly regular contact over the past few weeks regarding my Run To London.  He's a runner himself and completed a marathon at the beginning of May.  Anyway the point is that he recently felt compelled to mention my Run To London in the House of Commons in the form of an Early Day Motion.

For those who are unfamiliar with the workings of the UK Parliament the official website states that:

"Early Day Motions (EDMs) are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons.  However, very few EDMs are actually debated.  Instead, they are used for reasons such as publicising the views of individual MPs, drawing attention to specific events or campaigns, and demonstrating the extent of parliamentary support for a particular cause or point of view.  An MP can add their signature to an EDM to show their support.  They can also submit amendments to an existing EDM."

Today, at noon, I met Greg Mulholland and the Otley Town Mayor (Councillor Gerard Francis) and was presented with a framed copy of the wording of the Early day motion.

• That this House congratulates Mr Chris Carver on the extraordinary achievement of completing a 218 mile run from Otley to London; further congratulates Mr Carver on managing to raise over £2,000 for the charity Orchid, a cancer charity dedicated to preventing, diagnosing and treating male cancers; is hugely impressed that he managed to complete this challenge in just under 45 hours and recognises the physical and mental discipline as well as intensive training that is required to complete such an impressive example of ultra distance running; and wishes him every success in his future endeavours, including the Commonwealth 24 hour Championships which takes place in September.
  

Very impressed that my fundraising and ultra distance running exploits seem to have reached an audience of MPs - unexpected though.  In some ways it's all a bit strange; doesn't the UK Parliament have more important work to do other than briefly talking about people such as myself.  Funding research into the prevention and treatment of cancer for example.

short race

Yesterday I travelled across the Peninnes to take part in a 5k race.  The organiser, Andy O'Sullivan, donated £50 to Orchid when he heard about my Run To London and he has since been wanting to meet me at one of the many races he organises.

In the Rochdale and Littleborough area he has organised hundreds of races over the past 26 or 27 years. They mainly range from 5k to 10k but are often around local reservoirs or in other scenic places.  They may not attract hundreds of runners - they are usually pretty basic (the race HQ is often a pub) - but the friendliness is always there.

Andy and I couldn't chat for long because, as race organiser, he was rather busy as you would expect.  Before the race though ... at the start line in fact ... there was a rather nice surprise.  He presented me with a boxed presentation salver. J ust like the picture but engraved with the words PRESENTED TO CHRIS CARVER FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO ATHLETICS.

Not sure what I've done to deserve that but I handed it back immediately [to look after until after the race].

The race in question was the Ken Taylor Cowm Reservoir Road & Trail Race. As the name suggests, Ken Taylor of Rossendale Harriers was also being honoured 'for his outstanding contribution and for being such an inspiration'.  He is also having chemotherapy at the moment as he has cancer.  Cowm Reservoir is about three miles north of Rochdale on the Bacup Road.

Anyway ... the race.  Began with half a mile uphill then two laps of the reservoir then half a mile downhill. Simple really.  The strong wind didn't help at all though and the narrow paths made overtaking difficult in places.  Reached halfway in 10:10 feeling strong, out of breath and expecting to slow slightly.  At the finish I couldn't believe the time - 19 minutes 15 seconds.  That means I completed the second half in 9:05 (5:50 per mile).  No idea about my position.

This time represents an Age Graded personal best of 17 minutes 28 seconds.  Something I'm very pleased about as it came only two days after my previous race and not too long after the Run To London.  Speedwork seems to be working OK then.

Updated the Personal Bests page too.

fund raising

At our 'reunion' on Sunday all of the people there suggested they would give up another weekend to help me on another fundraising adventure.  While it's wonderful to have that level of friendship and respect - especially from those helpers who were complete strangers four months ago.  I'm completely humbled by all that but ...

"Oh shit ..." I thought, "what have I started."

Well I thoroughly enjoyed myself that weekend so I probably will do some other fundraising run BUT NOT UNTIL 2011 AT THE EARLIEST.

There are four reasons for giving it a two year rest (minimum):

(1) it would be unreasonable to ask for the same level of donations and support every year
(2) I need to consider other ultra races I may be interested in
(3) I firmly believe that to raise money for charity by 'doing something' you have to be 'out of your comfort zone'.  This means it could take a while to decide exactly what to do, and then there's all the planning and organising (and that's worse than the training ...)
(4) I need a twelve month break from all that stuff

In the meantime if anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Run To London - revisited

Yesterday I met up again with seven of the people who helped during the Run To London and we all had a good time refreshing our memories of the whole weekend.

In my case some of the holes were filled in.

Thanks to everyone who bothered to send an email recently after reading the report.  It seems that you all enjoyed reading it and I certainly plan to re read it every once in a while to remind myself of the '45 hours of madness' which was one of the greatest adventures of my life.

A couple of people recently have suggested I write a book.  I know that I do a lot of writing and I have worked as a journalist but a whole book is a bit daunting.   It will need a lot of thought first.

In general my recovery has gone very well so far with not even a minor illness or ache/pain any more.  Back to a normal training schedule now but at a reduced level (only 50 miles this week).

training plans

I Hope you all enjoyed reading the account of the Run To London. Some of the photos, I think, are excellent but my favourite is the one below which was taken by Huw Illingworth. I'm on the right and Andy McMenemy is on the left. I'm not sure if anyone will understand why this photo means so much to me but I'll try and explain briefly.

In the photo I've just completed 300k in over 39 hours and on I go into the night with Andy in tow. It was well after midnight and I was feeling low at this point ... but still I plod on.

I think Huw just captured the moment without thinking about it too much - he must have been exceptionally tired at this point too having been on car duties for (too) many hours.

Anyway, that inspirational photo is now firmly installed on my PC desktop.


Training now begins in earnest for the Commonwealth 24hr Championships in Keswick on 17/18 September. The plans have all been written and, on average, I aim to run about 6 - 7% more miles per week and be on the bike three times a week instead of twice. Strength training will probably be about 10% less than last summer but hill reps will make up the difference hopefully.

Official selection date has now been put back to Monday 29 June 2009 although as I already have the 'A' standard from last year's Tooting Bec race I'm very confident of being selected.

I've also got some shorter races planned - they can be viewed over on this page.

future plans

Been back from London less than four days and I'm still aching all over. A couple of hours ago my thoughts turned to training and planning for the Commonwealth Championships which are now only 16 weeks away.

The thought just crept in there - I didn't encourage it, honest.

Hope the soles of my feet stop hurting before then.